Novel response to 911 overload draws praise, possible funding from Greeley City Council

Greeley City Council member Randy Sleight has resigned his position, citing a pending move to Ault that will disqualify him from representing Greeley’s Ward 2.

Because Sleight’s seat was up for election, the Greeley City Council will look to appoint a replacement rather than attempt a special election just a few months before the November election.

Greeley attorney Doug Marek said the city’s charter is silent on the timing of appointments, and recommended that city council move forward with an expedited schedule similar to appointments the council made in 2009 and in 2011.

The hope, among council members present at Tuesday’s work session, is to appoint a council member Aug. 1.

Sleight was elected in 2013 from Ward 2, which includes the University of Northern Colorado and southeast Greeley.

He said his family bought land outside of Ault a year ago, and his son and daughter-in-law, along with his grandchildren live there now. Sleight said he had planned to move there too, calling it generational living “like the Waltons,” and the current real estate market made moving sooner rather than later the more favorable option.

When asked whether he has considered elected office beyond Greeley, Sleight said he had, but couldn’t discuss those options at this time.

A spike in Greeley 911 calls lasting more than a decade has drained resources drastically, yielding a months-long experiment that already has saved thousands of dollars and one city officials believe could save millions if implemented full-time.

Using employees from North Colorado Health Alliance and North Range Behavioral Health, as well as Greeley Fire Department and Greeley Police Department personnel, Greeley dedicated about 72 hours to a so-called "action lab," a suburban utility vehicle that responded to not-so-emergency emergencies.

The goal: Stop sending huge fire trucks to smaller calls, and have qualified people on site to advise potential patients and guide them to services more efficiently.

As an added bonus, mental health specialists have followed up with 125 residents identified as "frequent fliers," or residents who have accounted for more than 1,000 911 calls in the past year. That work has decreased calls from those folks by 70 percent, according to data discussed Tuesday during a Greeley City Council work session.

Funding for the proposed expansion of the program will have to wait, as Mayor Tom Norton and other council members wanted more data before giving a nod of approval to continue the program.

Recommended Stories For You

The program dealt with members of Greeley's homeless community, people suffering chronic alcoholism and mental health issues. Officials, including those from North Colorado Health Alliance, say the method not only reduces 911 calls in the future but can help patients change their lives.

Nearly all parties found cost savings.

City officials estimate $12,000 in cost savings for the city and the Department of Human Services, and they estimate more than $100,000 in savings if the program was around for an entire year. The program started in October 2016.

The experiment also found cost savings for the patient through alternative destinations (other than the hospital), immediate initiation of care on scene or through referring the patient to the appropriate care at the time, according to the report. Those interventions, based on data from five frequent 911 callers and depending on patients' medical insurance type, could save patients between $85,000 and $105,000.

Further, responding in an SUV rather than a fire engine saves money on gas, as well as wear and tear on the vehicle. Officials estimate having a full-time action lab-type vehicle staffed and ready 40 hours per week would save 650 fire engine or ambulance responses per year.

All told, officials estimate cost savings in the millions of dollars per year, according to the report.

City council members expressed support for the program, particularly Mayor Pro Tem John Gates, a former police officer who is well aware of dealing with non-emergency, mental health calls.

Still, expanding the service will require a city investment of more than $20,000 this year and an estimated $85,000 next year, and that doesn't exactly sit well with Norton.

"You're asking for more money to implement a program we should be able to do with less money," Norton said. "You talked about this being great and wonderful. All of those things say we're saving money. If that's the case, then where in the hell is the money?"

One answer might be the Greeley Fire Department committed about 170 hours to the program, and cost savings estimates are based on the idea that, during the same time frame with a full-time person, that person would serve nearly 1,500 hours.

The new method comes in response to a national trend of increasing 911 calls, and it follows closely a model employed in Colorado Springs. Fort Collins and Boulder are working to implement similar programs, too.

Today, Greeley's team operates out of a 2000 Chevy Suburban but is hopeful to get an ambulance or another vehicle.

— Tyler Silvy covers government and politics for The Greeley Tribune. Reach him at tsilvy@greeleytribune.com. Connect with him at Facebook.com/TylerSilvy or @TylerSilvy on Twitter.

Sleight resigning

Greeley City Council member Randy Sleight has resigned his position, citing a pending move to Ault that will disqualify him from representing Greeley’s Ward 2.

Because Sleight’s seat was up for election, the Greeley City Council will look to appoint a replacement rather than attempt a special election just a few months before the November election.

Greeley attorney Doug Marek said the city’s charter is silent on the timing of appointments, and recommended that city council move forward with an expedited schedule similar to appointments the council made in 2009 and in 2011.

The hope, among council members present at Tuesday’s work session, is to appoint a council member Aug. 1.

Sleight was elected in 2013 from Ward 2, which includes the University of Northern Colorado and southeast Greeley.

He said his family bought land outside of Ault a year ago, and his son and daughter-in-law, along with his grandchildren live there now. Sleight said he had planned to move there too, calling it generational living “like the Waltons,” and the current real estate market made moving sooner rather than later the more favorable option.

When asked whether he has considered elected office beyond Greeley, Sleight said he had, but couldn’t discuss those options at this time.